Spelthorne

Spelthorne's population grew in the decade leading up to the most recent census. At the same time there were changes in religion, ethnicity and housing tenure.

The population reached nearly 96,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Spelthorne increased by 5.8%, from just under 90,400 to 95,600.

The addition of just over 5,200 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Spelthorne was home to, on average, 15 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Spelthorne

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Spelthorne increased by two years, from 39 to 41 years.

This affluent suburban area had a slightly higher average age than the South East and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 2,900 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 2,000.

About 16% of people in Spelthorne are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Spelthorne by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Spelthorne

The percentage of Spelthorne residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.3% to 3.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The proportion who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.4%, while the percentage of Spelthorne residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 90% to 90%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.2% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Spelthorne

The number of people in Spelthorne that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 13,000 in 2001 to about 22,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 14% to 23% of the local population.

The percentage increased by less than the average across the South East (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Spelthorne that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 68,000 in 2001 to about 61,000 in 2011 (from 75% to 64%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from just over 6,500 to just under 6,700. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 7.2% to 7.0%.

Just over 2,300 people (1.1%) said they were Hindu, up from about 950 in 2001 (2.4%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Spelthorne increased by 8.4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Spelthorne by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Spelthorne

The number of people in Spelthorne from the White ethnic groups increased from about 85,000 in 2001 to just over 83,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 94% to 87% of the local population.

The percentage decreased by more than the average across the South East (from 95% to 91%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Spelthorne from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 2,900 in 2001 to just under 7,300 in 2011 (from 3.2% to 7.6%). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from about 1,200 to about 2,400 (from 1.3% to 2.5%).

Just over 1,500 people (0.6%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from just over 520 in 2001 (1.6%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Spelthorne decreased by 7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Spelthorne by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Spelthorne, but at a slower rate than in nearby Hillingdon.

In Spelthorne, the proportion of private renting increased from 7.7% in 2001 to 13% in 2011. During the same period, the

Across the South East, the share of privately rented homes increased from 10% to 16%.

The rate of social housing in Spelthorne remained close to 12%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 78% to 73%.

Private renting in Spelthorne increased by 5 percentage points

Percentage of households in Spelthorne, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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